House to Senate: Wait for final SC ruling on Duterte impeachment
Metro Manila, Philippines - The House of Representatives urged the Senate to withhold acting on the Supreme Court decision that declared the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte unconstitutional, as the ruling is not yet final.
In a statement on Saturday, Aug. 2, House spokesperson Princess Abante said their chamber expressed “deep concern” over the scheduled Senate vote to decide on the SC ruling in Duterte’s impeachment trial. The plenary vote is set for Aug. 6.
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Abante stressed that the SC decision is not yet final as the House will file a motion for reconsideration “soon.” She argued that the House was the “body vested by the Constitution with the exclusive power and authority to initiate an impeachment.”
“For issues as transcendental as this—and especially when there appear to be factual errors upon which the legal conclusions were drawn—sheer prudence dictates that the Senate allow the Supreme Court to hear the House in its Motion for Reconsideration,” Abante said.
“Any premature action—such as a Senate vote effectively abandoning the impeachment trial—may be interpreted as a disregard of due process,” she added. “Worse, it may be construed as a political shortcut that undermines the constitutional role of the House.”
Abante said that the integrity of the impeachment process must be preserved, calling on senators to “exercise prudence and patience, and allow the judicial process to reach its rightful conclusion.”
“The House remains committed to the rule of law and will exhaust all legal remedies to protect its constitutional mandate—and to ensure that accountability is not casually brushed aside,” she said.
